A local person from Glin in Co. Limerick has defended Dominic West, after the actor came under fire over photos of him ‘kissing’ Lily James in Italy on Monday.
After the actors were papped looking cosy in Italy, Dominic and his Irish wife Catherine FitzGerald shocked the world by putting on a united front outside their home in the Cotswolds on Tuesday morning.
In photos published by The Sun, the 50-year-old kissed his wife outside their family home, and issued a statement which read: “Our marriage is strong and we’re very much still together.”
The next day, it’s understood Dominic and Catherine returned to Glin Castle in Limerick, where the couple have lived on-and-off for years.
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Dominic and Catherine, who met while attending Trinity College, are well-respected in Glin, a small picturesque village on the banks of the Shannon Estuary in Co. Limerick.
Speaking to the Irish Independent, an anonymous local said: “He is an absolute gent and Catherine is a lovely lady and they are very well got in these parts.”
“They are extremely good community people for Glin. They have never refused to help. If their name alone can add to something to whatever is going on, they always do.”
“Last year, we did a play for the 200th anniversary of the Cailin Bán, a local girl who was murdered by a man Scanlan who used to work for the Knight of Glin,” they explained.
“Over two nights, we got 400 people into a marquee and Dominic West starred. It was the only two nights he had free, and he gave up his time. He’s a very good guy. I don’t know what he is doing in his private life, that’s his business.”
“What struck me about the photos were they seemed a bit set up. Would the paparazzi be following the likes of Dominic West? It seemed peculiar to me,” they confessed.
“I hope they are OK is all I would say. Their children are fabulous. We would really hate to see him leaving – he is an asset to us.”
“Ah, sure look he is a grand fella. He walks into the pub and has his pint of Guinness, sits down with the lads and has a chat until kicking out time.”
“If you didn’t know who he was you wouldn’t take a blind bit of notice of him – do you know what I mean,” they added.
Dominic married Irish landscape designer Catherine back in 2010, and the couple share four children – Dora, 13, Senan, 12, Francis, 11, and Christabel, 7.
Catherine is a member of the FitzGerald dynasty, an Irish royal and aristocratic dynasty that originated in Normandy.
Her father, Desmond FitzGerald, was the last Knight of Glin – and Catherine grew up at her family’s ancestral home, Glin Castle.
Dominic and Catherine officially bought the castle last year, to save it from being sold on.
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